911 Briefs -- Published July 31, 2013

STOCKTON - Guns were involved in at least three incidents that kept Stockton police busy over a span of 41/2 hours Monday evening. Officers made five arrests, recovered five firearms and are looking for two suspects in a shooting, authorities said.

By The Record

recordnet.com

By The Record

Posted Jul. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By The Record

Posted Jul. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

STOCKTON - Guns were involved in at least three incidents that kept Stockton police busy over a span of 41/2 hours Monday evening. Officers made five arrests, recovered five firearms and are looking for two suspects in a shooting, authorities said.

In the first incident, at 4:05 p.m. Monday, a 42-year-old man was walking near Phelps and 10th streets when a vehicle drove by with two occupants, police reported. The driver fired two rounds from a pistol at the man and then sped off. The victim was not injured. The shooter and his passenger are being sought for assault with a deadly weapon.

About 6:25 p.m., a witness reported to police that shots were fired at a building in the 1200 block of North Union Street before the group with the gun left the area on foot. Patrol and Community Response Team officers responded and detained several people in the 1000 block of North Pilgrim Street.

The witness was able to identify two of the people involved in the shooting. That prompted a probation search of a residence during which a shotgun was located inside and three handguns were discovered hidden in the backyard. The Union Street building had been struck once.

Officers arrested Angel Gomez, 38; John Rocha, 18; and two boys, ages 17 and 15, all on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm.

About 8:35 p.m., officers responded to a disturbance in the 500 block of Caribrook Way. When they arrived, they witnessed several people scattering into apartments. Deshaun Porter, 21, was seen throwing an item out a window that was later determined to be a loaded handgun, police said. Porter was arrested on suspicion of weapons violations and vandalism.

RIPON - A man sustained fatal injuries when he was run over by his own tractor late Monday in a Ripon almond orchard, authorities said.

The accident occurred shortly before 11 p.m. near South Austin and West Ripon roads, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.

Joseph C. Wagner, 53, of Ripon was taken to a Manteca hospital, where he died of his injuries. Authorities were still investigating to determine how the accident happened.

STOCKTON - Two catalytic converter thieves were apprehended but another escaped after leading police on a short vehicle pursuit Tuesday morning in southwest Stockton, authorities said.

Officers responded to the 1100 block of Glenmohr Court in Weston Ranch about 7:15 a.m. after someone called to report suspicious people underneath a vehicle, authorities said. The thieves were seen fleeing the area in a Toyota pickup, police said.

An officer spotted the pickup in the 3400 block of South Manthey Road and attempted to make a traffic stop, but the truck failed to yield. The driver stopped about one mile into the pursuit, exited the vehicle and fled on foot, officers said.

The driver got away, but two passengers who remained in the pickup were taken into custody without further incident, police said. After locating a stolen catalytic converter in the pickup, officers arrested Lue Thao, 27, and Chee Yang, 26, on suspicion of grand theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime.

The driver was described as a black man in his 40s with black shorts, a white shirt and dreadlocks, police said.

STOCKTON - The San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force concluded a two-month investigation into marijuana cultivation and sales, arresting five people in a series of raids early Tuesday, authorities said.

The task force teamed with the Stockton Police Department and San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office SWAT teams to serve eight search warrants in east Stockton. Authorities seized more than 300 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $600,000, 11 guns and $44,100 in cash, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.

VALLEY SPRINGS - A Bay Area man suffered major injuries after crashing his motorcycle on Camanche Parkway South near Valley Springs, authorities said.

According to the California Highway Patrol, David Fletcher, 37, of Castro Valley was traveling west on Camanche Parkway South about 2:50 p.m. Sunday when he lost control of his 2008 Harley-Davidson. Fletcher failed to negotiate a right turn, struck an uphill dirt embankment and was thrown from the motorcycle.

Fletcher was taken by ambulance to a landing zone and then flown to a hospital in Modesto and treated for his injuries.